A Plant-Based Diet for 2019?

The Economist has labelled 2019 the “Year of the Vegan”. What used to be seen as a niche trend a few years ago has now expanded into the mainstream, with a wide variety of household brands now offering vegan options of their products. From Greggs Bakery to Doctor Martens, vegan options are popping up all over our high streets without any sign of slowing down.

Between 2014 and 2018 the number of vegans in the UK has quadrupled and with the #Veganuary movement gaining traction, encouraging people to adopt a vegan lifestyle for a month and potentially for the rest of the year, it seems a safe prediction that the number is going to increase again in 2019.

Whether this is up there with your New Year’s resolutions and wherever you fall on the spectrum, we can all agree that getting your five fruit and veg a day is beneficial to everyone. The health benefits associated with adopting veganism and a plant-based diet are undeniable:

Vegan diets are shown to contain more fibre, vitamins and antioxidants, and all of the protein and iron contained in meat can be found in other plant-based foods. As they contain less saturated fats, it can also reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and several other diseases.

But you don’t need to go trudging down to the supermarket for this; another trend sprouting up recently is people growing their own fruit and veg themselves. No need to pay the higher retail prices on organic food when it can be grown fresh at home.